Our Approach to Privacy

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information SeedMoney collects through the SeedMoney Challenge website at challenge.seedmoney.org, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices and rights you have.

SeedMoney is a small nonprofit organization, and we keep our use of personal information modest and purposeful. We collect what we need to run the SeedMoney Challenge, support campaign leaders, and pursue our charitable mission — and not more.

This policy applies to campaign leaders, account holders, and visitors to the website. It does not cover donations: donations are processed by GiveButter, and GiveButter's own privacy policy governs the information donors provide when they give.

Who Is Responsible for Your Information

SeedMoney is the organization responsible for the personal information described in this policy (the “data controller”). SeedMoney is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Scarborough, Maine, United States. You can reach us about privacy questions at challenge@seedmoney.org.

Information We Collect

Information you provide when you create an account. When you sign up — including through Google sign-in — we receive your name and email address, and we create an account record for you.

Information you provide in a campaign application. When you apply to the Challenge, you provide information about yourself and your garden project. This typically includes your contact details, your organization's name and location, organization verification details (such as an EIN, charity number, school identification, or a description of your organization), your project description and garden story text, and photographs you upload. If you choose to opt in, your campaign text may be processed by AI-assisted proofreading tools, as described in our Terms of Service.

Communications. If you email us or contact us for support, we keep a record of that correspondence so we can help you.

Information collected automatically. When you use the website, our systems and service providers may automatically receive limited technical information such as your device type, browser, IP address, and general usage activity. We use this information to keep the website running well, to monitor and help prevent fraud, and to understand how the site is used. The website uses essential cookies for account authentication, but the current application does not use analytics or non-essential tracking cookies.

We do not ask for or intentionally collect sensitive personal information beyond what is described above, and we ask that you not include unnecessary sensitive details in your application text or photos.

How We Use Your Information

We use personal information to:

• Create and manage your account and verify who you are;
• Review your application and administer your participation in the Challenge;
• Build and display your campaign and the public leaderboard;
• Send you communications about the Challenge and your campaign, including account, application, and campaign notifications;
• Add campaign leaders to our email list so we can send Challenge updates and related news — we keep these emails to a minimum and send them only when we have something worth your time, and you may unsubscribe at any point (see Your Choices);
• Provide support and respond to your questions;
• Understand and improve how the website works;
• Report on the impact of our programs, including aggregated statistics and the use of campaign content as described in our Terms of Service;
• Comply with our legal obligations and protect the integrity of the Challenge.

Information That Is Public

The SeedMoney Challenge is a public program. By participating, you understand that some information is shown publicly:

• Your campaign page displays your garden story, photographs, organization name, and location.
• The public leaderboard displays information such as your campaign name, location, ranking, amount raised, and number of donors.

Please keep this in mind when deciding what to include in your campaign content.

How We Share Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only in these limited ways:

• Service providers. We use trusted third-party services to operate the Challenge, and they may process personal information on our behalf — including GiveButter (donations and campaign hosting), our website hosting and database providers, and Brevo (transactional email for account, application, and campaign notifications). These providers may only use the information to provide their services to us.
• Our project team. SeedMoney works with a student engineering team (Hack4Impact) that builds and maintains the platform through December 2026. Authorized members of that team may access platform data, including personal information, while doing that work. They act on SeedMoney's behalf and do not own or control your information.
• Legal and safety reasons. We may disclose information if required by law, or where we believe it is necessary to protect the rights, safety, or property of SeedMoney, campaign leaders, donors, or others.
• Organizational changes. If SeedMoney's programs are transferred to another organization, information may be transferred as part of that change, subject to this policy.

International Transfers

SeedMoney is based in the United States, and the Challenge is administered from the United States. If you are located outside the United States, the information you provide will be transferred to and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your country.

How Long We Keep Information

We keep personal information for as long as needed to run the Challenge, support campaign leaders, meet our legal and reporting obligations, and document the impact of our programs. Campaign content and program records may be kept on an ongoing basis as part of SeedMoney's historical record, as described in our Terms of Service. When information is no longer needed, we take reasonable steps to delete it or remove identifying details.

Your Choices and Rights

Wherever you are located, you may:

• Access the personal information we hold about you;
• Correct information that is inaccurate or out of date;
• Request deletion of personal information that we are not legally required or reasonably needed to retain;
• Unsubscribe from our email list at any time, using the link in our emails or by contacting us. Please note that some essential messages about your account or active campaign are part of running the Challenge and are not promotional.

To make a request, email us at challenge@seedmoney.org. We will respond within a reasonable time and may need to verify your identity first. Some requests may be limited by law or by our need to keep certain records — for example, information tied to a completed Challenge or to a grant we have awarded.

Children's Privacy

The SeedMoney Challenge is intended for adults. Account holders and campaign leaders must be at least 18 years old, and the website is not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children. Campaign leaders are responsible for obtaining the necessary consent before including images of any identifiable individual — including any minor — in their campaign content, as described in our Terms of Service.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

The website uses cookies and similar technologies that are necessary for it to function, such as keeping you signed in to your account. The current application does not use analytics or other non-essential tracking cookies.

Security

We take reasonable measures to protect personal information, including encryption and authentication tools, and access to personal information is limited to the people who need it to run the Challenge and who are expected to keep it confidential. Our service providers maintain their own security practices. No method of storage or transmission over the internet is completely secure, however, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make a significant change, we will take reasonable steps to notify you, for example by email or a notice on the website. The “effective date” above shows when this policy was last updated.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this policy or about how SeedMoney handles your personal information, contact us at challenge@seedmoney.org.